Rifling machine



Nov. 4, 1941. I

H. E. DURKEE RIFLING MACHINE Filed April 22, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 4, 1941. H. E. DURKEE 2,261,797

RIFLING MACHINE Filed April v,22, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 2 lllll lllll @Ei j-.. Wl H Wal l :gg

' INVENTOR.v v

BY M/ATTOR'EY RIFLING MACHINE FiledApril 22, 1940 4 sheets-*Sheet 5 INVENTOR AIJURNEY Nv.4, 1941. .H E DURKEE y l2,261,797v

- RIFLING MACHINE l Filed April 22, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 4 Fyf INI/NTOR.

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 Henry E. Durkee, Manchester, Conn.,

assignor to Niles-Bement-Pond Company,l West Hartford, Conn., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 22, 1940, Serial No.V 330,862

claims. V(ci. :a0-2&1)` Y This invention relates to riing machines and more in particular to a rifling machine for shoulder muskets and similar small arms.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved form of riiiing tool advancing and rotating means, .the tool of which operates upon a gun barrel supported on the machine and maintained in fixed position during the movements of the riling tool.

A feature which enables me to accomplish the above object is that the riing tool is held upon a spindle rotatably mounted within a slidable carriage, the carriage being movable along the machine bed in a direction coaxial with that of the barrel being ried. While being advanced the spindle Within the carriage is rotated in predetermined relation to its advancing movement by means of ya nut engaging a spirally grooved member" connected by suitable gearing to the tool spindle.

Another object of the invention is to mount thespirally grooved member in a direction parallel to and in xed position at one side of the slidably mounted carriage so that the overall length of the machine may be reduced to the shortest'practicable length. f

With the above and other objects in View the invention may include the features of construc-- tion and operation set forth in the following specication and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification, I have shown the invention embodied in a gun barrel rifling machine for shoulder muskets, but it will be understood that the invention can be otherwise embodied and that the drawings are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for thatv purpose.

In the drawings:

Figure l is'a front elevation of a complete machine partly broken away in which the present invention is incorporated.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 ,is an end elevation of the machine shown in Figs. l and2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View taken through the centers of the spirally grooved member and the rifling tool rotating spindle.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation, partly in section, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section taken upon the plane of line 6 6 shown in Fig. 5, and

In the above-mentioned drawings there hasv been shown but one embodiment of the invention which is now deemed preferable, but it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims Lyithout departing from the spirit of the invenion. y

Briefly and in its preferred aspect, theinvention may include the following principal parts: First, a base having longitudinal horizontal Ways extending substantially the entire length of the bed;A second, lmeans to support and periodically index one or-more lgun barrels, or other parts to be ried; third, a tool carriage slidably mounted upon the Ways and movable `directly toward and from the member being ried; fourth, a tool rotating spindlekwithin the carriage, the axis of whichuis in alinement with the axis of the member being rifled; fifth, a hlically grooved member xed in position upon'the' base atone side of andparallel to the axis lof rotation of the rifling tool; sixth, means engaging lthe rifled member and connected to the tool rotating spindle to rotate the spindle in timed relation to its forward movement.` y k Referring more in detail lto the gures of the drawings, there isshown a complete embodiment of a duplex riling machine ,in` which the present invention has been incorporated.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 ofthe drawings, an elongated bed Ill suitably supported and having horizontal parallel ways I I extending substantiallyits entire length, there being provided on the ways II adjacent one end of the machine alwork holding chuck I2. This chuck or work holdingwmembery I2, as shown, may be mounted upon a carriage I3 fixed in position on the Ways II of the bed I 0 and provided with indexing means (not shownlso that the chuck IZ, together with the member Abeing rifled W, may be indexed periodically during the rifling operation. Also at one end of the machine is a tool feeding device -I4 for adjusting the radial position of the rif-ling tool withinfits cutter head and 'at an intermediate position is a steady rest I5 for the outer or free end of the member W being riiied. As these parts are or may be similarr to thosenow found in standard forms of rifling machines, it is not thought that any further description will be necessary. It will suffice to state that the-gun barrel W, or other part to be ried,

is mounted horizontally and centrally of the machine ways I'I and is indexed between successive movements of the rifling tool by appropriate means forming no part of the present invention.

Adjacent the opposite end of the machine from the chuck I2 is a tool reciprocating slide or member I6 having a spindle I1 rotatably mounted therein and disposed coaxially to the axis of rotation of the member W to be rified. This spindle I1 is provided with a gear I8 secured directly thereto in mesh with a gear I9 on a rotatable member parallel to the spindle I1. On this latter member 20 is a nut 2| mounted for convenient removal and substitution and adapted to engage the grooves of a helically uted member 22. This helically fluted member 22 is,vas shown in Figs. l and 2, mounted in fixed position on the the carriage I6, one end of which is attached in any suitable manner to a part of the rotatable mounting for the spindle I1 and the opposite end is attached to a xed ange or collar 36 within the tool carriage I6. will be evident that during rotating movements of the tool spindle I1 while the carriage I6 is moving the spiral spring 35 will be partially wound and unwound, thus at all times maintaining a pressure in one direction of rotation of the spindle I1. By means of this spring 35, therefore, the spindle I1 is always held as far as possible in-one direction and with the lost motion base I0 within suitable brackets 23, one of these brackets 23 being at each end of the member and serving to retain the member 22 against rotation and endwise movement. This fluted member 22 is disposed exactly horizontally and parallelly with the rifling tool spindle I1 and as the carriage I6 carrying the spindle I1 reciprocates the nut 2I will be rotated in accordance with the helix of the grooves on member 22 and will correspondingly rotate the rifling tool spindle I1 through the gears I8 and I9 connecting the spindle I1 and member 20. b

In order to control the movements of the tool supporting carriage I6 there may be provided a cylinder 24 iixed to the base IIJ below the ways II within which a piston 25 may reciprocate. This piston 25 by means of its piston rod 26 extending from one end of the cylinder, engages a dependent portion 21 of the tool carriage I6. By means of a hydraulic system of conventional type a liquid may be forced into one or the other end of the cylinder 24 to advance the carriage I6 in either direction. In order to accomplish this movement the following control system may be employed. An actuating rod .28 parallel to the direction of carriage movement and slidably mounted upon the ways I I is provided with adjustable collars or dogs 28 adjustable to any positions along the rod 28. These dogs or projections 29 are in the path of the movement of the carriage I6 and form reversing means for this carriage by being axially moved by the carriage. Movement of this rod 28 actuateswa cam member 30 in one direction or the other and oscillates a T-shaped member 3-I, one arm of which is attached to a controlling valve 32. Movement of the control Valve 32 to one or the other of its operative positions causes iluid under suitable pressure to be admitted to a distributing valve 33, the function of the control valve 32 being only to operate the distributing or reversing valve 33 at thepredetermined end positions of the movement of the tool slide or carriage I6. With this distributing valve 33 in v,either of its extreme positions fluid under pressure will be admitted to one end or the other of the cylinder 24.

It will beseen from an inspection of Fig. 4 that the'tool spindle I1 for the riling tool is provided at one end with a suitable chuck or tool mounting means 34 which positively locks the tool in position for rotation with the spindle I1. VIt is essential in riling operations that all lost motion between parts of the mechanism be eliminated in order that each successive groove in the member W being rifled may be uniform and at the proper angular' distance from the other grooves. In order to eliminate or control the lost motion in the driving and rotating means for the rifling tool, a spirally wound spring is housed within between the driving members for the spindle I1 on the same side.

What I claim is:

1. A riiling` machine comprising in combination, a base having guideways thereon, means to support a gun barrel on said base with its axis parallel to said ways, a carriage slidable along said ways, a tool supporting and rotating spindle within said carriagea helically splined member secured in a fixed position to said base parallel to said ways, a nut engaging said splined member, gear connections between said nut and tool spindle whereby movement of said tool carriage along said ways effects simultaneous axial and rotative movement of said tool, and a helical spring having one end fixed relative to said carriage and its opposite end mounted on and for rotation with said tool spindle, whereby said spindle is normally forced in one direction of rotation.

2. A rifling machine comprising in combination, a base having guideways thereon, means to support a gun barrel on said base with its axis parallel to said ways, a carriage slidable along said ways, a tool supporting and rotating spindle within Said carriage, a helically splined member secured in a fixed position to said base parallel to said ways, connections between said splined member and tool spindle whereby movement of said tool carriage along said ways effects simul-l taneous axial and rotative movement of said tool, and spring means normally forcing said tool spindle in one direction of rotation.

3. A rifling machine comprising in combination, a base having guideways thereon, means to support a gun barrel on said base with its axis parallel to said ways, a carriage slidable along said ways, a tool supporting and rotating spindle within said carriage, a helically splined member secured in a fixed position to said base` parallel to said ways, driving connections between said splined member and tool spindle whereby movement of said tool carriage along said ways effects simultaneous axial and rotative movement of said tool, and a helical spring surrounding said tool spindle and winding and unwinding with rotative movements of said spindle in opposite directions.

4. A rifling machine comprising in combination, a base having guideways thereon, means to support a gun barrel on said base with its axis parallel to said ways, indexing means for said gun barrel within said supporting means, a carriage slidable along said ways, a tool supporting and rotating spindle within said carriage, aV helically splined member secured in a fixed position to said base parallel to said ways and at one side of said carriage, driving connections between said splined member and tool spindle whereby movement of said tool carriage along said ways effects simultaneous axial and rotative movement of said tool, and a helical spring hav- From this construction it ing one end fixed relative to said carriage and its opposite end mounted on and for rotation with said tool spindle, whereby said spindle is normally forced in one direction of rotation.

5. A rifling machine comprising in combination, a base having guideways thereon, means to support a gun barrel on said base with its axis parallel to said ways, indexing means for said gun barrel Within said supporting means, a carriage slidable along said Ways, a tool supporting 10 and rotating spindle within said carriage, a heli- 

